Pokémon: The Prelude
by tinman11
Summary: A prologue to 'Pokémon: The Yellow Episode' and its sequels. Ash has been having an unusually hard time at school lately and can't wait to start his journey to become Pokémon Champion.However, some bad decisions may cause him to never follow that dream...
1. Chapter 1 - A Spark

**Chapter 1 – A Spark**

Ash Gray Ketchum was sitting at the dinner table. He was staring at his hands, which he held folded like a knot. His thumbs were nervously circling around each other, like they were dancing. They were getting soar, but Ash couldn't stop moving them. He stole a glimpse at the room he was sitting in. An open kitchen, illuminated by the dim light of three colourful candles. The backyard should've been visible through the glass doors that separated it from the kitchen, but it was too dark outside to see much further than two metres. The coffee maker was growling while boiling water.

On the other side of the table stood his mother. She had furiously been lecturing him a minute ago, but now she was quiet. She was all out of words.

Ash understood why she was angry. Ash was angry too. At himself, mostly, but also at the world. It was so unfair to him. At moments like this, he felt like the whole world was against him. Ash was conscious of this behaviour, and he tried not to think like that. He felt like it was his weakness, and weakness are to be fought against, or to be compensated by your strengths. That's what his dad said. That's the real world. This isn't.

 _I don't need school_ , Ash thought. _Especially not Training School_.

It was a warm evening at the end of April. Ash was seventeen years old. He was in his sixth and last year of high school. Most of his classmates were eighteen or nineteen, but Ash had skipped the year before due to his above-average grades. The year before that he had applied for the Training Course, and received an acceptance-letter a month or two later. He was a talented kid, and he knew that. But the success had gone to his head, and he started to slack. He barely made his homework, failed tests and skipped class a lot. He felt like he was wasting his time at school, like he wasn't learning anything. But when he started underperforming in Training classes, he started to panic.

Training School was a specialised education program that trained teenagers into becoming a certified Pokémon Trainer. Thousands of students would sign up each year, but only about twenty per school were to be selected to participate. The course would start in their first year of high school. Students would still follow the regular school classes, but get a special schedule that includes the Training subjects. High school years were different from Training School years. The latter would last half as long as the former, ending right before Christmas. The next one would start in January, and end in July, together with the regular school year. Near the end of each Training year, they'd have an Examination and an Evaluation. During the Examination, the students had to perform a certain test to show what they had learned in the past half year. The Evaluation would take place a week after the Examination. This was where the students had to look back on what they had accomplished in the past few months and what they could do better. The teachers will then tell their thoughts about each individual student and judge their development. And ultimately they'd announce who could go to the next Level – there were three of them –, who stayed in the same, and who had to quit. They basically judged the shit out of you.

Ash was in Level 3, which is the final one. Level 3's qualified for Graduation, but if you didn't graduate from high school, you weren't allowed to own a Trainer's License either. And Ash had to get one. He couldn't afford to wait another year. Especially if Gary was already on his way. Gary was a classmate who also took the Training Course, and Ash knew _he_ was going to graduate both Training- and high school. Gary had the same attitude as Ash, he felt he was too good to put an effort in studying . However, there was a difference; Gary was good at school. He could afford not to study, because he only had to read the textbook once and he could score a B.

Ash had had to finish together with him. Gary and he had always been one step ahead of each other. Gary was the grandson of a dear friend of Ash's parents, so they knew each other since they were little toddler's. Their relationship was strange. They were always fighting, always betting, winning, or losing. Ash's mom first thought they hated each other, but then she realised there was something special going on. Even though they never had a nice word to say about and always tried to outdo one another, they were inseparable. They'd rather fight each other than play with other kids.

Ash's mom had told him that, but Ash would never admit he liked Gary. He hated Gary.

And that's why he had stolen the exams. Ash had realised he'd been neglecting his grades, and he'd started to panic. Without a diploma, he couldn't finish Training School, and once again Gary would be ahead of him. So one night, Ash, Brown and Parsley – two other classmates in need – took a few shots of vodka, put on their hoodies and snuck into the school building. After they knocked out the security cameras, they went straight to the dean's office and looked through all of his drawers, until they found them. They quickly copied the exams and got the hell out of there.

Now, with the final exams in their hands, they'd felt like the most powerful students at school. They'd sold dozens of copies to fellow students and earned loads of money. They'd won so easily.

This is why Ash hadn't been very surprised when the dean called him to his office and told him that a student had been tattling about a few boys selling exams. This anonymous snitch had been in possession of proof in the form of video tape.

The three were screwed.

This was the whole reason why Ash was now sitting there, at the dinner table, contemplating his future while his mother stood in front of him, silently.

'What are you thinking about?' she asks. 'Or aren't you about that anymore, thinking?'

Ash remained silent, again staring at his twisting thumbs. He couldn't look up.

'Does this even bother you? Do you even care?'

'Yes, of course I care!'

'Show it!'

Ash couldn't answer. He didn't know what to say. He never knew what to say when his mom was angry at him. They never fought. It was mostly her being mad at him for doing something stupid, being rude or forgetful, etcetera. He would just listen to her in silence. He didn't say anything because he just agreed with what she was saying. He didn't have a rebuttal.

For his mother that came across as disinterest. Ash understood that. He wished he had something to say.

'Okay, I don't know what you're going to do, but I'm gonna call Sam and tell him that he doesn't have to put any effort in raising a Starter and making a License since you're not going to be a Trainer.'

'No! Don't do that!'

'Oh, so now I get your attention? When I start threatening with sanctions? Ash, you know I don't want to be that kind of mother, but I feel like you leave me no choice! Besides, you're probably not even aloud to be a Trainer anymore because I think they're not gonna let you graduate anymore.'

'That's not true! I can fix this! They always have extra exams for when this stuff happens and I still get to take finals. Remember when a girl in Tracey's class did the same thing? She still graduated!'

'She didn't, actually.'

'Maybe not, but she still got to take the exam!'

Ash felt a tiny spark of hope glowing inside his chest. He could still graduate. He could still become a Trainer.

'Mom. I know you're mad, and disappointed, and I understand that. But please, give me another chance! It was a stupid mistake! I was acting out of stress and panic, not out of boldness. You know I normally don't do these kinds of things.'

His mom was silent for a moment. The roles were reverse. Ash saw that she was looking for responses, but she didn't have any.

'You'll have to pay all those people back their money,' she ultimately said.

'Of course I will.'

Silence. Ash's mom thinking.

'It's okay. Off to bed.'

Ash sighed in relief. He kissed his mother on her cheek and they wished each other a good night.

'Don't forget to set your alarm!' she yelled as Ash was already halfway up the staircase.

'I won't!'

Ash smiled. The sparkle in his stomach was now a flame. She agreed with him. He had a second chance and he knew he was not going to blow it.

 _To be continued..._

 **Hi ! I don't know if anyone will read this but I'm new here. Well, actually, I'm not since I've been reading stories on here for the past two years, but this is my first own story. It's a combination of Ash Ketchum's story from the Pokémon anime and Red's story from the games, with my own twist to it. It's going to be a realistic Pokémon story, but it won't be a theory of rationality, like 'Pokémon: The Origin Of Species' by daystar721 (who I am by the way, obsessed with). I'm not as intelligent as they are, but I will be using some of their theories on technology and nature in the Pokémon world, so credits to them (except if they don't want that and report me or something, that would be awkward.)I'm not very familiar with how everything works here, but I think you've noticed that by now. I'll just keep writing and uploading chapters to this story, and hoping someone will eventually read it and maybe even review it.**

 **PS: Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or anything related to it. It's all Gamefreak and Nintendo, guys.**

 **PSS: I'm Dutch and 17 years old, so correct me on bad grammar and spelling, but know I will be using this as an excuse a bit ;-)**


	2. Chapter 2 - Suspended

**Chapter 2 – Suspended**

The next morning, Ash woke up extra early. Normally, he would stay in bed until he only had ten minutes left to get ready and go to school, but today he had a newfound confidence. He needed to make everything right and he knew he had to work for that, but he felt like he could make it.

His Examination for Training School was next week, and he had been preparing for a while now. However, his finals were next month and he really needed to start catching up with unfinished schoolwork.

Even though every part of his body was protesting, Ash swung himself out of bed, hoping it would somehow wake him up a little bit. He showered, put on some clothes and went downstairs to make breakfast. When he was done ten minutes later, he heard footsteps scuffing in the hall upstairs, and then slowly walking down the stairs.

'Good morning!' Ash yelled from the kitchen.

He saw his mom coming into the living room from the corner of his eye.

'Why so early?' she said with a rough voice and squinting eyes.

'It's all part of my new life for the next two months. I said I was going to fix everything, remember?'

Ash was looking at the toast in the pan, but he could feel his mother smiling vaguely.

'Alright, so are you gonna make me breakfast every morning from now on?'

'With all my pleasure,' I said, grinning.

She laughed. 'We'll see about that.'

Ash felt relieved. The tense ethos from the previous evening had vanished and been replaced with the casual way of interacting we usually shared in this house. He had a very good relationship with his mom. He would even consider her a friend, next to a mother. There was a phase when Ash was a basically a pigheaded tween, which made them a bit more distant. But now Ash had grown older, they could have more mature and fun conversations. Ash really liked living with his mom.

'So, today I'm gonna go to the dean's office to make sure I can still do the exams,' I said, while I flipped the toast. 'And then I'm going to ask every teacher what I need to do to catch up as fast as possible. Do you want cheese and ham on your toast?'

'Just cheese, please,' she answered. 'Sounds good. Maybe you should stop by Samuel and tell him what happened.'

'Why would I do that?'

'Because, if I were him I'd like to be aware of these things. I mean, he's raising a Pokémon specially for you.'

'You're right. I'll talk to him.'

They finished their toasted sandwiched together and washed it down with warm tea. Ash went upstairs to pack his backpack while his mom made him some lunch for at school.

It was a quiet morning, just like Ash was used to in Pallet. The town was located at the Mid-West coast of the Kanto Region, and the climate was very neutral. Summers weren't very warm and winters weren't very cold, and rainy days were very common. Ash liked the weather of Pallet. Mostly because he had never really experienced other climates. He went to Viridian pretty often since a lot of his Training classes were located in the Trainer House, but the weather there was pretty much the same as in Pallet. He had also gone to the Orange Islands on a holiday once, but it was much too hot and humid for him over there.

Ash took his cap and jacket from the coat rack in the hall, put on his backpack, kissed his mother goodbye and went off to school. He could take the bus – it would get him to school seven minutes faster – but Ash enjoyed taking a stroll through the streets of Pallet. He liked being outside, it relaxed him. Mostly because he liked observing nature and wildlife. Ash lived downtown, so there wasn't much of that on his way to school, but in the weekends he liked to wander through the forests surrounding Pallet or walk along the shore. He'd find a lot of Pokémon there, even though he couldn't go past the restricted areas because he didn't have a License.

At school, Ash felt like a reinvented person; he was paying attention in class, he was able to answer questions and he finished _and_ handed in three essays. Other people noticed his change of attitude too. He purposely sat alone in class so he wouldn't get distracted and during breaks he was working in the library instead of hanging with his friends in the cafeteria. Brown even came up to him and asked if he was mad at him.

After third period, Ash, Parsley and Brown went to the dean's office to apologize. The dean listened patiently until they were finished talking. Her dark brown eyes were staring at her long fingers though the square glasses resting on the bridge of her nose. It reminded Ash of how he had been sitting at his dinner table the evening before. He had also been in doubt, and playing with his thumbs had been his displacement activity, just like staring at her bony hands was hers. It all made the professional and rigorous woman seem a bit more human and approachable to Ash.

After a moment of silence, the dean spoke. She stated that the boys would be suspended, but would be allowed to take the final exams. The three teenagers sighed with relieve and thanked her. While they were making their way out of the office, the dean suddenly stopped them.

'Wait.'

All three of them turned around and looked at her, afraid she had changed her mind.

'Just Ketchum, you two can go.'

Brown and Parsley quietly left the room. After a moment, Ash could hear their relieved laughter and chatter from the hallways. They were freed from the tense atmosphere of the dean's office, while Ash was still in there. Ash was about to sit down again, but she stopped him. Instead, she stood up and walked towards him.

'You do realise this is not the usual punishment for students who defraud the exams?' she says monotonically.

'No... I thought that you had new ex-,'

'If I would follow the rules correctly you would be suspended for the rest of the year and you'd have to do your senior year all over again,' she interrupted him.

Ash was confused.

'Why aren't you following the rules?'

The dean sat down on her desk and looked at him. This was the first time the made eye contact during the whole time Ash had been there.

'Because you have potential, Ash. You have ambition. You have a talent and you work hard expand that. And I admire that about you. You're not the only kid at this school with talent, or with big dreams. But you are one of few who actually do something with it.'

Ash was lost for words. How do you respond to this?

'I've seen you during your Training classes. You're good. You have a bond with Pokémon. Your PE and Biology teachers couldn't be happier with you. I talked to them about you this afternoon and they both said the same thing: _he's found his spirit back.'_

'Wow, I ... thank you.'

'Ash, I want you to remember one thing when you go on your Training journey,' she said, now with a more earnest tone in her voice. 'Talent is not a skill. It is an advantage for developing a skill. Don't ever get lazy again, or you'll make me regret this decision. Will you promise me that?'

Ash gulped.

'I promise,' Ash stuttered.

'Good. Now get to class,' she said as she sat down at her desk again.

Ash took his backpack and tried his best not to sprint when he walked out of her office. Halfway through the door he heard her voice again.

'Oh, and Ash?'

He turned around again. _What now?_

'Keep this between us, will you?'

Ash nodded.

'But you already got that.'

Ash didn't say anything. He didn't know if he was dismissed or not, but when she gestured carelessly towards the door without looking, he couldn't hurry faster out of that office.

The hallways of the school were empty; everyone was in class. The perfect moment for Ash to make a triumphant little jump. The hopeful flame that was burning inside of him the previous evening, was now a full on forest fire. Even the dean knew it was his destiny to leave town and become a Pokémon Trainer.

He only had one thing left to do, and that was to tell Sam about it. Sam was a part-time Training teacher at this school who taught _Pokémon And Human Relationships_ to seniors. For Ash to visit him, he had to go to the Trainer House, located in Viridian. Luckily, there was a bullet train that was specially made for students to travel from Pallet to Viridian and back.

Ash went downstairs and followed the hallway to a door. Behind the door were the school grounds. The grounds were surrounded by a few school buildings, an alley leading to the sports fields, and the train station. It was somewhat around 14:30 PM and the sky was a little less cloudy than that morning. It was actually quite sunny. Ash sped up his pace, because he didn't want to miss the train and wait half an hour for the next one. He wanted to get this over with as fast as possible and go home. He reached the station and checked in with his Student Pass.

Ten minutes later he was standing at the door of Sam's office at the Trainer House. The trip only took about two minutes – the train could reach an average speed of 250 miles per hour –, but he hadn't taken the bus from the station to the Trainer House, because he was out of money. Ash waited patiently outside of the office. Sam was having a serious conversation with a student and her parents, so Ash didn't want to be rude and disturb them. After waiting for a few minutes, the door opened and the two parents and the girl walked out. The girl looked like she'd been crying, but she was now wiping her dried tears and smiling. Ash walked into Sam's office.

'What's up with her?' he asked.

Sam almost tripped over his chair.

'Gosh! Ash! You almost gave me a heart attack!'

'I'm sorry,' Ash apologised. 'How are you, Sam?'

'Well first of all,' Sam said as he sat down. 'This is my work space, and you know I like you to call me by my professional name here.'

'Sorry again. How are you, Professor Oak?'

Professor Samuel Oak was a close friend to Ash and his mom. Ash had known him all his life and he was like a family member to him. When Ash's parents got married, his mom left everything behind to live with his father. She used to go to college in Saffron City and wait tables at a diner, but when she fell in love with Ash's dad, she was prepared to drop everything to be with him. However, when Ash's dad passed away, she felt completely empty. She had to take care of her little son by herself, and for that, she needed to find a job. This was very hard, since she didn't have a college degree and the economy was suffering from a post-war recession. At that time, Professor Oak saw her struggle and offered her a job at his Laboratory. He knew her, because he'd known her husband for a long time, and he also knew she was very talented with taking care of Pokémon. From then on, Professor Oak's house became Ash and his mom's second home.

'Thank you. I'm fine. Just announced to that girl that she had to do over junior year. She was devastated at first, because she didn't want get her Trainer License a year later than her friends.'

'Yeah, I recognize her. Wasn't her name Yellow or something?'

'That's right. But she's fine now. She realises she will have an extra year to learn about Training and finish unfinished business. But enough about her. Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be preparing for your Examination?'

'I got suspended,' Ash blurted out.

'What? How? What happened?'

Ash told the whole story; about how he stole the exams, and about what the dean said. He didn't tell the professor that she'd made a deal with him. The professor listened patiently and didn't even try to interrupt him. When Ash finished talking, Oak took a moment to find the right answer.

'Ash. There is not much I can or have to add to the list of words you've had to hear about this situation. The only thing I can say is this: don't ever let something like this happen again.'

'I know. I won't. It was just an action out of fear of failing.'

'I don't care if it's fear. You're bigger than that. Fear is just a reflex. It's an illusion, a figment of your imagination. It's a representation of what could happen, not what's real. Overcome it.'

'I know. I will.'

'Fine. Now, I suggest you make good use of that suspension of yours, and prepare for your Examination.'

Ash nodded.

'Okay. I'll see you tomorrow.'

Right before Ash opened the door he turned around to face Oak.

'Thanks, Sam. For everything.'

Oak smiled.

'No problem, Ash.'

Ash walked down the stairs of the Trainer House. He wasn't very used to seeing Professor Oak that earnest. He felt strangely uncomfortable, but on the other hand, he felt more supported and encouraged than ever. There was only one thing left to do.

 _To be continued..._

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon blah blah blah you get it**


	3. Chapter 3 - The Morning Before

**Chapter 3 – The Morning Before**

'Ash, I'm gonna get Mr. Mime from the lab. I'll be back in a few minutes.'

'Okay,' Ash responded to his mom.

He heard her get her keys from the drawer in the hall, and then open and close the door.

Ash was excited for Mr. Mime to come back. It was an old Mime who had been living with Ash and his mom for a long time. He'd been at Oak's lab for a month now, because they were doing research on the production of barriers.

Mr. Mime was adopted. He originally came from a circus where they abused him; at least that's what Ash and his mom had suspected when they found him all bruised up lying in their backyard one morning, with a rumpled costume, smeared make-up, and a nasty cut down its arm. They brought him into their home and took care of him. The Mime didn't show any resistance. He just sat quietly while they were stitching up the wound, scrubbing the paint and dirt off his skin and making a bed for him. They laid the Mime down and he almost instantly fell fast asleep. He was shaking of fever, and Ash insisted on staying with him for the night. His mom, however, found it wiser to leave the creature alone to sleep.

The next morning, Ash had woken up early to check on their new patient. When he entered the room, he saw the Mime staring out of the window, at the rising sun. Ash greeted him, but this startled the dwarf-like Pokémon. It jumped up two metres and retreated to the left corner of the ceiling. The creature then looked at Ash, and he instantly felt like someone was grabbing his throat. The invisible force was pulling Ash from the ground. The grip on his throat was getting stronger, and Ash screamed for help. His mom came running into the hallway, still in pyjamas, and saw her son levitating above the ground and the Mime in the corner of the room. She knew how to approach a Pokémon, and thanks to experience at Professor Oak's lab, she knew how to handle a Psychic attack too. She slowly took place between Ash and the Mime. She guessed the Mime's powers weren't very strong, and she was right, because due to Ash not being visible anymore, the force let go. Ash fell to the ground. Delia kept her back towards the Pokémon, so she wouldn't come off as a threat. Meanwhile, Ash was getting up, rubbing his neck and feeling a bruise coming up. Delia was steadily walking backwards to the Mime, calming him. However, when the Pokémon noticed that Ash had gotten up, and was now facing him, he got aggressive again. He quickly moved to another corner, which made Delia startle and turn around. The Mime focused at her and used his Psychic powers to smash her against the door. He wasn't able to lift her up, since she was much taller and heavier that the little Ash. Ash screamed for his mom, but he couldn't do anything. He turned around and stood in front of the Pokémon. His mom was yelling at him, telling him to get help, but Ash didn't respond. He looked at the Mime, and after a moment, the creature made eye contact with him. Delia was scared to death, fearing that the Psychic-Type would kill Ash. But he didn't. They just stared at each other. She tried to break free from the force holding her against the door. The only thing she could do was watch as her son was about to be killed. But the creature and the child were still looking at each other. They weren't moving, barely blinking, but just staring. Ash took a step forward. Delia's heart was racing as the two individuals kept looking into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Delia felt the strength of the power pushing her against the door decreasing. She slowly regained the ability to move her limbs. When she was completely in control of her body again, she noticed that her urge to interfere and save Ash had faded. She had realised that something extraordinary was happening. There was a strange connection between the Pokémon and the boy that she had never seen before. It was like they were communicating by just staring deeply into each other's eyes. The Mime slowly made his way to the floor again. It stayed there in the corner of the room, breaking eye-contact with Ash and giving quick glimpses at Delia. Ash looked at his mom, his mom looked back in utter confusion, and then Ash returned his look to the Mime. Delia felt like she was standing next to two people that were obviously talking about her, but in a foreign language that she didn't understand. Ash walked towards the Mime, whose eyes were widening shyly, and reached out his hands. The humanoid creature looked at is, figuring out what to do with it, but ultimately decided to take it into his own. That was the moment that Delia knew there was something very unique about Ash. It was something that she would cherish, but also keep quiet, because she knew how dangerous it could be if the wrong people got to know about Ash's gift.

Before deciding what to do with the Mime, Delia had asked Samuel to examine it. Mimes are originally not aggressive of nature so there could've been a mental problem. However, Oak stated that there was not much to worry about. Since the Mime had been abused at the circus, it had developed a certain distrust towards humans, but that could be cured with familiarisation.

And so it was that the Mime had come to live with the Ketchum's. Little Ash wanted to give him the name _Mr. Mime_ , referring to his favourite children's book about a young Mime who couldn't Mimic and therefore couldn't Evolve either, so he travelled around the land to meet all kinds of Pokémon and try to Mimic them, failing horribly. Eventually he would learn that he didn't need to Mimic others, and that he just needed to be happy with who he was. Ash's mom would read this story to him and she would put on funny voices for each Pokémon, making the young Ash tear with laughter every time. Thinking back to the story now would make Ash grin, since it was not an option for a Mime to not learn Mimic. The Mime wouldn't Evolve into an adult Mime and so wouldn't be able to reproduce. It would also be abandoned by its parents when he gets too old and without the strong powers of an adult Mime, the Unevolved Mime would make easy prey.

Anyhow, the young Mime was called Mime Jr. and its parents were Mr. and Mrs. Mime. But this name never caught on because Delia called him Mimey all the time, so that's what he started listening to.

Ash shook his head to put his train of thought back on the rails. How exciting he might be it was that Mimey was coming home today, Ash had to focus on something bigger. Today was the day of his Examination. He had been training for months, and he felt secure of his odds. These were the final Examinations, and each student would get an individual task to test their specific weakest skills. Besides the the individual task there would be a group task and a theoretical exam.

Ash got up from the dinner table. His had to be present at the Examination in an hour, but he wanted to take a stroll through the woods first.

I packed his bag, triple-checked if he was complete and took off.

It was a short five minutes before he reached the forest. He took a deep breath of fresh air while he entered the pinewoods. He wandered around a while, just observing his surroundings and enjoying the tranquillity. He let the atmosphere clear his mind. Sometimes he stood still for a moment, and when he felt like walking again, he did. He felt free in the woods. Sometimes a Pokémon appeared close to him, and he would connect with them. Sometimes by petting, other times by just staring at each other. Whatever the Pokémon wanted, Ash would agree to.

After a few minutes, he reached the fence. Behind the fence were the forbidden areas. It was illegal to pass the gates without a Trainer Licence and at least one trained Pokémon. Ash couldn't wait to finally step into the real Pokémon world. He had stood here many times before, gazing into the deep, dense forest. Sometimes he caught a glimpse of a Pokémon. There was one time that Ash could remember very clearly. When he was twelve, he was staring once again through the fence. All of a sudden, he saw a pair of eyes glaring back at him. They belonged to a Pokémon sitting on a branch. Ash had been startled at first, but then became interested. He pierced his eyes to get a better look at the creature. It was a giant, silver-coloured bird. It had beautiful grey-blue tail feathers hanging down from his glimmering wings. Ash had wondered what Pokémon it could be, or what its Type was, but he just had started speculating about its Abilities, the Pokémon graciously flew off. Ash watched it fly away, until he couldn't see it anymore. It was that moment that Ash knew he not only wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer to step in his dads footsteps, but also because he wanted to see the world.


	4. Chapter 4 - Examinations

**Chapter 4 - Examinations**

 **Note: It's been a bazillion years since I have last posted a new chapter on here; due to summer vacation, school and theatre productions. The latter brings me to the following. I don't consider myself a novelist, but I'm more of a scriptwriter for film, theatre and TV. Therefore I don't write very novelishy. Anyhow, when I write the story, I picture it as if it would be a movie, and I already have a cast in mind. This is why I thought it'd be fun to share this with you, the readers. Every chapter I will start the episode with a 'starring' list of which character is played by who. That's it.**

 **Starring (in order of appearance):**

 **Logan Lerman – Ash Ketchum**

 **Billie Lourd – Lavender**

 **Tom Hanks – Professor Samuel Oak**

 **Andrew Garfield – Gary Oak**

Ash was sitting in train. He was surrounded by noise, coming from his fellow classmates. They were all anxious and excited for finals, speculating on what their individual tests would be, what the group assignment was going to be, who was going to be put in a group with whom, testing each other's knowledge for the exam. It wasn't a big group of students; Pallet was a small town and not a lot of people were willing to take such risks as becoming a Pokémon Trainer. Ash liked the group. He wasn't close friends with most, or actually, all of them, but they were fun folk to hang out with. They didn't take everything too seriously, but what they did take very seriously was their goals, and that was what Ash found most attractive on a person.

Normally, Ash would be joking around with them too – he was quite the talker – but right now he felt like he didn't have the energy to. Maybe it was because of the nerves. It was probably because of the nerves. Most definitely. The stroll through the woods this morning hadn't been relaxing at all. As soon as he had left the forest, he started over thinking everything and his heart began beating quicker and quicker. Now that he was sitting in the train, he felt his cold shirt sticking to his back – he had been sweating.

'Hey, Ash.'

A girl's voice from his left. It was Lavender. She'd been Ash first crush. He met her when he was eleven. She was twelve – her birthday was in October, Ash's was in February, they met in December. Ash had seen her in school before, but they never spoke to each other. Ash had been pretty sure she'd never noticed him. When they were put together in a group for a Chemistry project, they first talked to each other, and Ash's tiny crush instantly became a major one. She hadn't noticed. Two years later he had confessed his love for her. She handled the situation very awkwardly. 'That sucks. I'm sorry,' she'd said. She then walked away and they didn't talk for months. Ash was broken. Later, when Ash thought about it, she maybe did the best thing she could've done for him. She was honest and to the point. The plaster was ripped of swiftly and hard. Ash had been able to recover very soon, though sometimes he still thought of her at random moments.

'What's wrong? Nervous?' she asked, teasing.

'A bit,' Ash said, faking a weak laugh. 'Well, it's not like I shouldn't be -'

Ash stopped talking when he noticed Lavender wasn't listening anymore. Her attention span had always been extremely short. Maybe better they never got together. Ash was a talker, but she wasn't a listener.

The train stopped. The volume of the conversations dropped. Now everyone's nerves were too high to compensate. It satisfied Ash.

They stepped out of the train and checked out. They all took the same bus to the Trainer House. 'Finals?' the bus driver said. Everyone in this group knew every bus driver between Viridian Train Station and the Trainer House.

When we entered the Trainer House, the Viridian finalists were already waiting. Their group was thrice as large. I didn't know any of them personally, only their faces. Students from Pallet and students from Viridian didn't socialise very much with each other. There wasn't necessarily any rivalry between the two groups, it just never happened.

There wasn't very much introduction to the exams. The two deans held a speech in which they wished us good luck. Then our Survival teacher explained the rules of the final Examination and everything about safety and security once more, and that was it.

First up was the theoretical test. All students were sent to the Battle Hall. Before entering we were obliged to sign up for attendance. The battlefield was lined with tables and chairs, for each of the finalist a pair. Everyone took a seat – most students wanted a place as far in the back as possible. Not that everyone was planning on cheating, but they at least wanted to keep it an option. Plus, sitting right in front of the teacher was very uncomfortable for some reason.

Ash sat in the third row from the back, on the utter right table.

The exam started. They got three hours time.

Ash scanned the test, and calculated in how much time he needed to spend on every question.

 _Subject A: Type Classification_

 _A subject of research is a savannah-dwelling (mainly) bipedal omnivore. Its average body temperature is 40.5 degree Celsius. Its main diet consists of fruit, leaves and small insects, rodents, fish, birds and reptiles. Running speed could lead up to 71.2 kilometres per hour. Not able to live without water for more than six hours. Its skin and brain however are vulnerable to liquids with temperatures lower than 5 degree Celsius. Move-set consists of an average of 65% Physical, 17.5 % Special and 17.5 % Status._

 _Question 1 A:_

 _Name the potential Primary -, and Secondary Types of subject of research. Explain your answer._

Easy. The Primary Type was probably Fire: its vulnerability to liquids with temperatures lower than 5 degree Celsius indicated that it was probably (this is a word students were taught to use while determining a species' typing, since the chance you don't have enough information and/or the information you possess isn't enough proof) weak to Water. The water it drank was of a higher temperature because its main habitat was savannah, where temperatures can lead up to 50 degree Celsius (high temperature habitats are also significant to Fire-Types). Another distinguishing feature was its average body temperature, which was higher than 40 degree Celsius, and only seen on Fire- and some Dragon-Types. This was strange for creatures living in high-temperature habitats such as savannah, were body temperatures are generally lower than other animals'. Researchers hadn't gotten to an answer as to why their body temperatures are so high; Fire-Types are one of the rarest.

As for the Secondary Type, Ash had guessed it would probably (that word again) be a Fighting Type. Its move-set with a 65% of Physical attacks suggested that it was a combative fighter, but the fact that it was mainly bipedal made Ash sure of his decision. Quadrupeds are extremely rare under Fighting-Types. That brought Ash to the point where he wrote that both the Primary- and Secondary Types for this subject were not reliable due to a lack of information. A Pokémon has to be in possession of at least 12 traits to qualify for a Primary Type, and 7 for a Secondary one.

The Typing System was originated from ancient humans during prehistoric times as a way to schematize different species. Each Pokémon belonged to a certain category. If a Pokémon showed traits that were significant to one of those categories, then that's where it would be placed. These categories were called 'Types', with each their own strengths and weaknesses. Archaeologists have found proof on cave paintings that the first known Types were five simple categories. Archaeologist J.W. Cheruben gave them the names 'Fire', 'Water', 'Air', 'Earth' and 'Spirit'.

A younger form of Typing was found in the South of Kalos, believed to be used around 1500 years after the first one. 'Spirit' was now divided in two new Types: 'Strong' and 'Magic'.

In the early 16th century, palaeontologist Roger L. Grimshaw created the 'Modern' Typing System. There were now Types: Fire, Water, Plant, Electricity, Earth, Air, Poison, Ghost, Physical, Mental, Frost, Dragon and Regular/Indeterminable. It was now also possible for Pokémon to have a Secondary Type and a Sub-Type. His theory stated that each form of Arceus had created their own Type, and that all Pokémon belonging to the same Type were genetically related.

This was believed to be factual for many years, until recent research had shown that the Typing System had nothing to do with the genetic relation between Pokémon. It was proven that Pokémon achieved different traits, abilities, strengths and weaknesses through evolution. For example, even though Delibird and Empoleon don't share the same Typing, research has shown that they are in fact closely related. Since then the Typing System had been abandoned from biological studies. A lot of biologists do agree that there is some truth to Type Effectiveness, but there are just as much of them who contradict these theses. Later, when the Pokémon League Championship was established, the Typing System was brought back to life as a way of categorizing Pokémon and their capacities, but also as a huge factor contributing to the popularity of the tournaments.

Since the revival of the Typing System, the International Pokémon Championship Committee (short: IPCC) has renamed a few Types (Plant, Electricity, Earth, Air, Physical, Mental, Frost and Regular/Indeterminable were now given the names Grass, Electric, Ground, Flying, Fighting, Psychic, Ice and Normal; however a lot of Trainers still like to use the old ones since they define the Types better) and added two (A lot of former Earth-Types now belonged to the Rock-Type, since there seemed to be a big difference between earth and stone. The Bug-Type was introduced because they seemed to have distinct traits.)

 _That should be a clear answer,_ Ash thought. _Next one_.

 _Question 1 B:_

 _Name three Pokémon that match these Types. Name their Sub-Types if needed._

Piece of cake. Blaziken, Sub-Type: Flying. Infernape, Sub-Type: None. Emboar, Sub-Type: None.

Some Pokémon show some traits that don't conform to their Primary- or Secondary Types. These traits give them their Sub-Type. The Sub-Type doesn't affect the disadvantages of a Pokémon very much, but they can come in handy during battling for example.

Ash looked at the rest of the exam. This was going to take a while, but he got the impression it was going to go pretty well.

After two hours and fourteen minutes, as the clock counted, Ash had finished his test. He was the first one to be done. Afterwards, when other people walked out of the Hall, Ash got riddled with questions like "Did you throw it?" or "Did you get a black-out again?", but Ash had just finished really quickly. He had checked his test thrice – he was pretty surprised himself – but everything seemed to be right.

After the three hours for the theoretical exams were done, the schedule gave the pupils permission to take a half hour break. Ash stepped towards a sparkly vending machine. He squinted, adjusting his eyes to the bright light. While trying to make a decision which brightly coloured can of soda he was going to separate from its equals, he heard footsteps approaching. Samuel Oak.

'Ash, how did the exam go?'

He was worried. It wasn't obvious for someone who didn't know him as good as Ash did. It was something about his voice.

'Hey, Sam! Pretty well I think,' Ash replied fake-unknowingly.

'I heard you finished exceptionally quickly.'

'There's nothing wrong, Sam-.'

'I just want you to know that you were given a second chance, and that that's a very valuable thing,' he interrupted him. 'And there's no place for fooling around now.'

'I'm not fooling around.' Ash mumbled, somewhat intimidated.

'It's not a in a true Trainer's mentality, to be irresponsible. You understand?'

'Of course.'

'Now, did you complete the test?'

'Yes.'

'Answered every question?'

'Yes.'

'Checked it?'

'Three times.'

Oak sighed. Ash suddenly felt like everyone was staring at him, but they weren't, he checked.

'Good.'

He paused again, thinking carefully about what he was going to say.

'You know, there's a lot at stake, Ash. Remember that.'

Ash nodded. He wasn't sure what he was talking about, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't get an answer if he asked about it. Lately people have been treating him differently...

'Well, good luck on your next to exams. And by the way, I've told you a million times that I want you to call me Professor Oak when I'm at work.'

He smiled faintly and walked away. He disappeared into a hallway. Ash grinned.

The second test was the individual task. The finalists were escorted through futuristic halls in the far back of the school. Ash had never been in this part of the campus before. The bluish LED-lights and the steel walls, floors and ceilings made Ash feel claustrophobic and excited at the same time. Ultimately, they entered a windowless room with a similar design as to halls they just walked through. It reminded Ash of a mix between a waiting room and a dressing room for some sort of sport, which was basically a summary of what it actually was. The room consisted of two parts. The first one was also the one where they entered the room. It had steel benches, clothing hooks, a trash can and some sort of vending machine, but furthermore, it was virtually empty. The other part of the room (you could call it the second room; the two were separated by an open doorway) was full of square cabins and three bathrooms. There was a big, metal door in the second room.

The students were informed that they would be called up one by one for their individual task. When called, they needed stand right in front of the big gate. They would be scanned on any forbidden objects and if the right person was actually standing in front of the door.

In the room, which students called 'The Ticking Room', were a variety of services. The weird vending machine was actually a device on which you had to click a few buttons and an entire meal would appear from energy, the same as with a Poké Ball. Ash wondered if the food was stored in some sort of Box, or that they were directly Teleported from the kitchen. The cabins in the second room could also function as shower and a sauna.

After the instructor told the students about the camera's keeping an eye on the situation, she and her assistant left the Ticking Room.

'So, who's ready to party?' Ember joked as soon as the door shut. Ember was a tall, skinny, but very strong girl. As most people, she was named after a Pokémon that had greatly impacted one or both of her parents' life. In her case, she was named after her mother's Magmar, but Ash thought they took it a little too far with the name 'Ember'.

'Well, I'm gonna order some food first,' Pat, a short, but broad guy named after a Primape, said.

Some people laughed, but Pat looked like he wasn't kidding. Ash grinned.

It took only ten minutes for the first finalist to be called up. A tiny girl with corn-blonde hair named Flora nervously stumbled towards the gate, receiving pat-on-the-backs and good luck wishes on her way. She stood before the closed doors for a second or to, some lights flashed, and the gate opened. Ash tried to see what was behind the door, but he only saw some sort of tunnel that looked similar to the halls they walked through on their way to the Ticking Room. The gates closed again, and Flora was gone.

Ash wondered what her task would be. She seemed such a timid girl. He hoped they wouldn't go to hard on her, but he knew that being shy gave them more reason to let her do something thrilling.

After ten minutes, the next pupil was called. And again ten minutes after that. The Ticking Room became more and more empty. The chill mood that was hanging around the Room half an hour ago had faded quickly and had been replaced by a nervous silence.

Ash realized he wasn't wearing his sportswear yet. He felt his cheeks turning red. What if he had been called up in his sweater and his phone still in his jeans? He decided to take a quick shower.

He stepped into one of the cabins. It looked a lot bigger on the inside. Ash closed the door behind him, undressed as quickly as possible and hoped desperately that he wouldn't be called up while he was standing there naked.

He stepped on a round platform with tiny holes through which the water would wash away. Above his head hung a shower in the same shape as the circle he was standing on. Ash looked through the buttons on the wall. There was a variety of options to choose from: jet pressure, volume, soap or no soap, shampoo or no shampoo, scent, scrub, etcetera, etcetera. Ash was rather overwhelmed, but he chose a middle strong shower with a mild scent of Sitrus. Ash pushed a button and let the water pour on his head. The temperature was instantly right, and the jet massaged his shoulders at a gentle pace. It felt delightful. However, the Sitrus-scent was a little cloying, but his sweat was going to drown that out during his task anyway. His heart skipped a beat as he suddenly realised that he could even be called up while he was showering. He would probably not even hear it the first time, and then he would have to turn everything off, dry himself up, get dressed and be at the door. He would make everyone have to wait. Showering had actually been a selfish choice, now that he thought about it.

Turned the shower off, removed the wet from his body with a soft towel and jumped into his clothes. Just as he stepped out of the cabin, a sneering voice spoke to him.

'Flowery, you smell.'

The voice was Gary's. Ash hated how he talked.

'Decided to dust yourself off right before the big game? A little birdie told me that a pale, miserable little dwarf from school had attempted to steal the exams, and I thought to myself: "Do I know a guy that fits that description personally? Who could that be?" But of course, it couldn't have been anyone else than one Ash Ketchum. How'd your theoretical exam go, sweetie pie? Were you done so early because you copied all the answers or did you finally realise that you do not have what it takes to be a Pokémon Trainer and are now making future plans on becoming Indigo's Next Top Sewage Cleaner?'

'For your information, the test went awesome, actually. And I didn't even have to cheat. I saw you looking at Ember's sheet. Maybe you need to reconsider your ambitions too.'

That felt good. Gary chuckled.

'Well, well! Where did that spice come from all of a sudden? You know, if I were you I wouldn't be so sure of myself. The school board may have forgiven you right now, but what you did out is considered to be a felony.'

'What's your point?'

'My point is that the dean isn't a softie. She may have been all sweet and sentimental about the whole exam thing, but I suspect they're not gonna go easy on you during your individual task, mate.'

A three-tone alarm went off, followed by a monotone, female voice.

' _Oak, Gary._ '

Lavender had been the previous finalist. She'd been in there a while. Ash wondered what she had to do.

'Well, that's my call. Wish me luck. Smell ye later, punk!' he said while walking off and carelessly waving his hand.

I had a good point there. What if they decided to make his task so hard that he would be forced to fail and redo the year? Gary was totally right about the dean not being a softie. In fact, she was known for being quite ruthless. Ash knew she'd been a talented Trainer when she was younger, because she'd been one of the final eight in a League Championship years ago.

Ash sat down on one of the benches and waited. He just stared at the ground and watched his classmates walk to the gate time after time and waited. He watched as a tiny bug tried to climb up the wall, but kept falling off the clean surface. An unnerving feeling bubbled in Ash's stomach.

Finally, when only three people we're left in the Ticking Room, the monotone voice – Ash still hadn't figured out if it was artificial or a real recording – called: ' _Ketchum, Ashton'._

Ash held his breath. His heart was racing as he stepped towards the metal portal. He took his place on a red dot on the floor. A small, red light started flashing, followed by a deep _beep._ Ash let out a sigh, both of relief and panic. The gates opened. Ash took one last look at the two classmates still waiting on the bench. One of them he knew, Hiroshi, a kind guy he knew since kindergarten, but never spoke much with. They nodded each other good luck. Ash couldn't remember the name of the other kid sitting there, but he knew that even though he was tiny, he had a flamboyant personality inside. The guy was looking at the ground, preoccupied. Ash turned his mind forwards. He entered the gate.

While he was walking down a dark hallway, dimly lit by fluorescent white lamps that had a blue glow to them, he heard rumbling noises. Not from the iron floor that seemed to be shaking with every step, but deeper and darker. It was the Arena changing. Arenas where special high-tech spaces that were mainly used for educational – and training purposes by the police, the fire department, Rangers and, in this case, Trainers, but they were also used for big competitions, like the League Championships or Pokémon Contests. An Arena could take any form, from a forest to a warehouse, in minutes. And now it was preparing for Ash's task.

A gate, bigger than the previous one, marked the end of the hallway. Once again, there was a maroon dot on the floor, right in front of the gate, for Ash to stand and wait on. A voice spoke. A man this time, but just as robotic.

' _Please step on your mark.'_

Ash looked down. _I think I'm already doing that._

' _The task will take twenty minutes. When the gate opens, don't enter if the green light isn't on. Good luck.'_

 _That's it?_ Ash remembered previous graduates saying that they got an instruction for their task. He got nothing. Or maybe this was what those alumni meant...

He took a deep breath. The rumbling noises faded and it grew silent. Ash suddenly felt completely alone, like there was no one else on Earth. Then, a high-pitched bell rang and a red light above the gate appeared. The two doors separated slowly, while Ash was still standing there, at the dot.

He felt both scared and excited. He wanted to both ignore the red light and never got through the gate. He tried to not show any of those emotions; because he had the nervous feeling he was already being filmed. He closed his eyes. When he heard the doors locking in place and felt a warm breeze flow across his cheek, he opened them again.

A rocky landscape. Ash stepped forward. The air was torrid. Five seconds in and he already felt the sweat dripping down his back. He observed his surroundings. Most of the area was covered in rocks, in all shapes, sizes and colours. There was barely any soil visible, and here and there some shrubs. He felt the sun pressing on his sin. The fake sun, a.k.a. the giant lamp on the ceiling of the Arena. It sure looked real, though.

Ash heard a mat _klunk_ behind him. The doors have closed. His task has begun.

Ash was just about to set a foot forward when something grabbed his shoulder.

He jumped up and turned around to face a handsome, young looking man. Older than Ash, but not much. Probably in his twenties.

'Hey, Ash!' he greeted eagerly, and he stuck his hand out. Ash shook it, confused.

'Hi... Who -'

'I'm Andrew,' he interrupted. 'I'm a Trainer too, graduated three years ago.'

Ash was still looking at him interrogatively.

'I'm here to help you with your task.'


	5. Chapter 5 - A Dragon Approaches

**Chapter 5 – A Dragon Approaches**

 **Once again, it's been like 8 years since I've posted anything on here. But I'm back and trying to keep up appearances! Also, I'm gonna skip through this whole never-ending prologue thing to get to the good stuff ;)**

 **Starring (in order of appearance):**

 **Logan Lerman – Ash Ketchum**

 **Marshall Williams – Andrew**

 **Dean Hera Loom – Jamie Lee Curtis**

 **Professor Samuel Oak – Tom Hanks**

While Andrew was blabbering on about optional strategies and what to do in certain situations, Ash stood baffled.

 _Someone to help me with my task? Had that ever happened before?_

He knew he wasn't the best at teamwork, but was he _that_ bad?

'So, any ideas of where we need to go?' Andrew asked.

Ash could see he already knew the answer, and he suddenly felt the pressure of anger against his temples.

 _Of course I know. I don't need to be treated like a child._

The boy realized he was quite offended by Andrew's presence. He had been speculating in the Ticking Room about what form his task would be like, but he'd never expected to have to share it with another person.

'The footprints and damaged rocks give away that one or more relatively heavy specimen went north from here,' Ash mumbled grumpily.

'Well, let's follow those then!' Andrew said cheerfully, and he chuckled. His optimism annoyed Ash.

They followed the trail, leading uphill. The path became rockier the further they got. Ash presumed they were climbing a hillside, until the trail made a turn. Ash could see the top of this ascent and it didn't seem like the top of a hill or mountain, but more like the ridge of a crater. Low and behold, Ash was right. When the duo reached the top, they were standing at the edge of a huge crater. And in the middle of that crater lay a snoring creature. Skin covered in dark brown scales, two enormous fleshy wings in addition to its four strong limbs, a yellow flame burning at the tip of its tail; Ash identified it as a Charizard.

'That's beautiful,' Ash whispered to himself.

'You have data?' Andrew interrupted his gaze. 'What do you know about this guy?'

'Charizard. Draco Ignisaurus. Female. Fire/Flying, with a Dragon sub-type. Presumably Kalosian seeing its colours and bigger size. Need more?'

'That's good. The rest we'll have to find out ourselves. Any ideas?'

'First we'll have to find out what they're asking from me.'

'True. We don't have any Pokémon, so the probability that we'll have to catch or defeat it is nil,' Andrew noted.

Ash hadn't even realized that they hadn't given him any Pokémon. _Strange,_ he thought, _usually they do._

'Let's take a walk around the crater,' Andrew said. 'Maybe we'll find a clue.'

Before they could even set a step, they're movement caused a loose rock to tumble down the crater, right towards the head of the dragon. Andrew and Ash watched paralyzed. The rock hit the left horn of the Charizard with a dull _thud._ The beast growled grumpily and got up, overcome with sleep. She looked around for the culprit of her interrupted afternoon-nap, and saw the two boys standing at the edge of the crater, numb. There was a moment of silent eye-contact between the animal and the duo, but it was discontinued by the loudest roar Ash had ever heard.

Suddenly, Ash noticed that the Charizard was standing on something; a hole in the ground, sealed with metal bars.

'Look, there,' Ash pointed his finger. 'I think the answer to our question lies behind those bars.'

The dragon was now fully upright. She spread her wings and started flying towards Andrew and Ash.

'I think there are bigger things to worry about.'

While still steadily approaching, the Charizard breathed a beam of flames in their direction. The two boys dodged it to both sides. The dragon landed between them.

'Go to the hole!' Andrew shouted. 'I'll distract her!'

The dragon turned towards Andrew, her fiery tail quickly swiping across and almost hitting Ash. He felt the pressuring heat exerted by the flame, and for a moment he didn't feel that courageous anymore. He quickly made up his mind though, and headed for the centre of the crater. He kneeled down at the side of the hole and he tugged at the bars, but it didn't move at all.

Ash peered down the darkness behind the bars, but it was hard to see. All of a sudden, when the light hit it a certain way, he noticed a round, red and white orb. A Poké Ball. Did he have to catch it? Catching a healthy Charizard with a mere Poké Ball seemed practically impossible. But maybe the Charizard already has been caught, and this Poké Ball belonged to her. Anyway, Ash had to find a way to get it out of the hole. He quickly scanned the crater to check if Andrew was unharmed. Both Andrew and the Charizard were nowhere to be seen. Ash's heart sank to his shoes. Had he already screwed everything up? Was Andrew still even alive? How long was this task even taking? The questions kept rushing through his mind, until he shook himself awake.

 _Focus. Get to action. Where is Andrew?_

'Andrew!' Ash called, knowing that it might attract the dragon.

No answer. Ash stood up and walked uphill, towards the ridge. Before his field of view could reach over the edge, Andrew jumped over his head, his feet barely hitting Ash's head. Ash flinched and tumbled backwards.

'Sorry!' Andrew shouted, arriving at the hole. 'Come here, quick!'

Ash got up and higgledy-piggledy followed Andrew.

'I managed to slow her down a bit.'

'What did you do?' Ash asked.

'I put a boulder on her tail.'

'A boulder? How'd -'

'Have you found anything over here?' Andrew interrupted him. His attitude was much more pertinent than before, and it made Ash like him much more.

'There is a Poké Ball down there, but-.'

'What kind?'

'A regular one, but the bars don't give. They're deeply in the ground.' Ash informed him.

'Have you tried-,' Andrew didn't finish his sentence, looking over Ash's head and shouting: 'DUCK!'

They both quickly dropped to the ground in the nick of time before some great claws could snatch their heads off. Ash looked up. The Charizard landed on the other side of the crater. Her tail was visible broken. She looked as if she were in pain, which fired her aggression.

'We could use her to open the hole. With fire or just with brute force.' Ash suggested.

'That could work, but how are you gonna get her to do that?'

'Good question, but I think let her attack us here until the bars break.'

'What?'

'You'll see. Move!'

They jumped from the approaching fireball, this time in the same direction. Ash fell down with a big smack, but quickly got up. The dragon was scraping its claws on the rocky floor and making heaving movements; she was reloading her ammunitions for another attack.

'Andrew, get back to the hole now. She's launching another one,' Ash said, but then he noticed that Andrew hadn't gotten up yet. He kneeled down beside him.

'My arm.' Andrew groaned.

Ash looked at the scald that was covering his entire right lower arm. A third degree burn, in all probability. Ash started to panic. He had no clue of how to get Andrew into safety. He had no medicine, or any supplies for that matter. There wasn't any shelter, he had no Poké Balls or Pokémon to defeat this beast en he had honestly no idea how to obtain the Poké Ball in that hole. Would they end the task if it wasn't able to complete anymore? Had they ever let someone die in a task? Would they pick him up out of the arena because he failed his task?

Meanwhile the dragon was getting closer. Because of the broken tail, flying got painful and difficult for the Charizard.

'You can still do it. Hide me behind a boulder and finish your task,' Andrew said. 'Finish your task.'

Ash nodded and helped Andrew stand up.

'Go get 'em.' Andrew said as he jogged to the edge of the crater, looking for a place to hide.

Ash turned around and saw the Charizard preparing another Flamethrower. He jolted towards the hole with a big bow, hoping it would make him a difficult target. He could hear the flames launching behind him with a blast, but he didn't feel any heat. Instead, he heard a loud scream. A freezing chill went down Ash's spine. He turned his head and saw Andrew in flames.

'Andrew!'Ash shouted.

Andrew kept running around, screaming. The Charizard hit him with another fire beam, and Andrew flew through the air, landing a few meters down and rolled down as a burned pile of limbs. He had stopped screaming, stopped moving.

'Andrew!' Ash yelled again, tears welling in his eyes. He had never felt so helpless, and it made him angry. Why did someone have to die for another one's education? _That's crossing borders._ He wanted to focus, but he couldn't anymore. His hands were shaking uncontrollably and his head started aching like it never had before. Suddenly, everything around him started spinning. Was this real, or was he fainting? Sound of explosion, but muffled. His vision turned purple, and then black. The last thing he remembered was looking at his clenched fists...

 **Interlude**

A group of people staring at the screens in the Control Room. The group was bigger than the usual ten people controlling the Arena, the personal mentor of the examined student and some other teachers. For example, Dean Hera Loom and Professor Samuel Oak were present in this company of qualifiedly lost in thought professionals, still staring at the screens in the Control Room. The critical moment was coming up. The four-eyed crowd pricked up its ears and leaned in. It happened. Sounds of explosion, fiery light with a purple glow heading towards the camera, then it shut down. The group held their breath.

'Professor Elm,' Dean Loom broke the silence. 'Write down: under great mental press-.'

'No, that won't be necessary,' Professor Oak interrupted her.

She looked at him, waiting for the final word.

'It's him.'

 **Disclaimer: Pokémon ain't mine, y'all**


	6. Chapter 6 - After The Task

**Chapter 6 – After The Task**

 **Starring (in order of appearance):**

 **Logan Lerman – Ash Ketchum**

 **Jamie Lee Curtis – Dean Hera Loom**

Ash opened his stinging eyes to the white light of the square shaped lamps illuminating the room. His head felt like a Machamp was pressing all of its four arms against it. He laid there for a few minutes, maybe an hour, before he found the energy to try to get up. He looked around the room. He was lying in a hoar hospital bed. He tried to remember how he got there, but his brain seemed just as soar as his body. After a while he laid back down and soon fell asleep.

The second time he woke up, he felt the presence of someone in the room. He got up as quickly as he could. It was the dean sitting in a chair against the wall at Ash's left side. Along with the chair stood another chair, but of a different kind and empty, and a small table holding a small vase with one small bouquet. The bouquet hadn't been there the first time Ash woke up. Or had it?

'Good morning,' was the first thing to roll out of Ash's mouth.

'Good evening, actually,' she replied.

A three minute long silence happened where Ash just kind of stared at the floor while he could feel the dean's piercing gaze.

'So, I suppose you have a lot of unanswered questions,' the dean said, pulling back Ash's focus.

'I do. What happened?' he said, unusually dull.

'You passed your examinations.'

Examinations. Only now tatters of memory hovering in Ash's mind were being put together in order. The dragon. The crater. Andrew.

'Where's Andrew?'

'He's save. He was wearing a head-to-toe fireproof suit. Very recent invention from Hoenn, actually. But you probably knew already. I think it was covered in the Trainer's Weekly a few months ago.'

Ash was perplexedly staring at her.

'He didn't die. Alive and well. It was all staged. Part of the task. Don't worry.'

'Can I see him?' Ash asked. His mouth was dry from leaving it open too long.

'Probably not. I think he went to Cinnabar for some unfinished business, I think.'

'Oh,' Ash sighed, sinking in thought again.

'But, like I said: you passed your examinations,' the dean said while getting up.

'All of them?'

'Of course not, your group task is rescheduled for next Monday,' she said, and with a wink she added: 'But I doubt you'll fail.'

'How did I pass?' Ash asked right before the dean could leave the room. She turned around.

'What do you mean by that?'

'I mean, I don't recall opening that hole and catching the Charizard. I only remember blacking out.'

'The traumatic experience of someone dying, or thinking someone died in this case, in front of your eyes could've caused the repression of memory. You caught the dragon by using her own force to open the hole. Excellent performance. Get some sleep now.'

The dean of the Viridian Training School left hospital room 1.25.

 _Maybe I should get some sleep._


End file.
